The present invention relates to a surface treatment for floors, walls or ceilings and particularly relates to broadloom or modular textile coverings having one or more seam strips forming complementary aesthetic design characteristics.
One form of conventional surface treatment is a textile covering, for example, a broadloom roll carpet or modular carpet. The terms xe2x80x9ccarpetxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9ccoveringxe2x80x9d are meant herein to embrace carpet applied to a floor, wall or ceiling. A principal and inherent deficiency in a carpet, particularly in commercial facilities, resides in the declining appearance retention of the aesthetic features of the carpet over long periods of time. For example, in commercial facilities, as well as in homes, carpet pile located adjacent doorways or high-traffic areas quickly mats down, with very noticeable adverse changes in appearance. Another example is conventional carpet used in locations where wheels and/or casters for chairs, carts and other items are frequently used. The appearance of the carpet in such areas degrades rapidly.
In a pending U.S. patent application, of common assignee herewith (Ser. No. 09/846,782, filed May 2, 2001, Attorney Docket 11-902), pending the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed a surface treatment wherein the exposed surface, typically the wear surface of the covering, comprises in part the primary backing surf ace of the carpet which the carpet pile normally obscures. It will be appreciated that the primary backing, e.g., for a tufted pile carpet, typically serves as a support for the pile rather than to impart any aesthetics to the carpet. With most carpets, the primary backing is totally obscured by the pile and plays no role in the aesthetic design of the carpet. In the carpet construction disclosed in that patent application, the backstitches of the tufts and the exposed portions of the primary backing form the aesthetic part of the treatment surface. The resulting surf ace treatment provides a dense, low-profile surface which retains its textile aesthetics and enables rolling traffic, such as beds, chairs and the like, to move over the carpet without substantial degradation in the appearance of the carpet. In that example of carpet, the primary backing is tufted in certain areas in an inverted manner relative to the primary backing such that the backstitches of the tufts, together with exposed portions of the backing, form the exposed typical wear surface.
Further aesthetic enhancements to the appearance of a surface treatment are provide d in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention by providing one or more seam strips intermediate side and end margins of the covering and which is particularly useful in the carpet of the above-identified patent application because of its very low pile. The seam strip is preferably formed of an inverted T-shaped cross-sectional configuration having an upstanding web and one or a pair of laterally extending flanges. The upstanding web terminates in a margin at or below the height of the pile and provides an exposed edge complementing the aesthetic characteristics of the exposed surface of the textile covering. The one or more lateral flanges underlie the adjacent edge(s) of the adjacent textile covering and preferably have apertures for securing the strip to the underlying floor, wall or ceiling. The edges of the textile covering at the seam may be adhered, for example, by an adhesive, to the strip.
As an example of the usage of the surface treatment of the present invention, roll carpet in strip form may be applied to the underlying floor, wall or ceiling, with the seam strips disposed along the adjoining edges, i.e., the seams, of the textile covering strips. Consequently, an overall aesthetic appearance may be provided by exposing to view the marginal edges of the webs of the seam strips in conjunction with the exposed surface of the carpet. For example, by employing the primary backing of the textile covering and the backstitches of the tufted yarns exposed through the primary backing as in the covering disclosed in the above-identified patent application in conjunction with the marginal edges of the webs of the seam strips, an aesthetically pleasing appearance may be obtained. It will be appreciated that the seam strips, particularly the exposed marginal edges of their webs, can be provided in various colors complementary to the aesthetic characteristics of the textile covering. It will also be appreciated that various designs using the seam strip can be imparted to the textile covering. For example and as previously noted, the seam strips may lie parallel to one another at the seams between adjacent carpet strips forming a covering. Alternatively, carpet tiles may be formed with the seam strips intersecting one another at right angles forming a checkerboard pattern. Various other patterns will be appreciated by those of skill in this art.
In a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, there is provided a surface treatment for a floor, wall or ceiling, comprising a textile covering for overlying the floor, wall or ceiling and having a seam between adjacent portions thereof, the covering having an exposed planar surface opposite a surface thereof in overlying registration with the floor, wall or ceiling, an elongated strip having an upstanding web with an upper margin and at least one flange extending laterally from a side and along a lower portion of the web, the flange underlying at least one marginal edge of the covering adjacent the seam, the web extending upwardly from the flange between the marginal edges and terminating at or short of the exposed planar surface, the upper margin of the web being exposed through the exposed planar surface of the textile covering and forming with the textile covering an exposed decorative surface.